


Holly Day?

by RaineLionheart



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate History, Alternate Reality, Culture, POV Second Person, Religion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-26 08:01:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21989935
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RaineLionheart/pseuds/RaineLionheart
Summary: You have a discussion with the Crystal Gems and Connie about the impact of the Gem invasion on humanity in comparison to our own reality. The implications are staggering.Takes place sometime in season one, because I wanted the especially naive Steven.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	Holly Day?

**Author's Note:**

> The Crewniverse has dropped several hints that Steven's Earth doesn't really have religion. I love this idea, and have a little headcanon screed in the end notes about it.

"So you don't know what the word God means?"

Steven shakes his head. "Nope! What does it mean?"

"It's another word for deity." Steven shrugs. You ponder as a train of thought forms.

"Do you know what religion is?" you ask.

Steven shakes his head.

"Interesting," you murmur. You turn to the assembled Crystal Gems - Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl - and Steven's friend Connie and ask, "Is there any religious organization on this planet?"

Garnet merely shrugs - from what you understand, she pays little attention to human affairs. Pearl appears to be thinking hard. Amethyst also shrugs, replying, "None of my human friends mention God."

You look to Connie who is mirroring Pearl. "My family practices spiritual wellness and we read from ancient texts as a way of reminding ourselves of our origins, and our impact on the physical world through our actions." She adjusts her rose-tinted glasses. "The texts often speak of deities that our ancestors used to worship, but that sort of practice died out thousands of years ago."

"That would likely be around the time Homeworld attempted to colonize the planet," Pearl suggests. "The implications of an extra-terrestrial invasion on such primitive people would have utterly destroyed their perception of reality."

"So is there any worship among humans in this reality?" you press.

Pearl shakes her head. "From what I understand, the humans who fought alongside us in the rebellion and survived returned to their people not with the notion that we were deities, but that we were simply greater beings, whose flaws were just as great. They knew we were not invulnerable, and that we were not all wise. And so they chose not to worship us. Thank the stars."

Garnet hums in agreement. "Even the early settlers of Delmarva learned quickly enough that we didn't seek worship."

"Which is too bad, because for a while they used to leave us some really cool stuff," Amethyst laments. You, Steven and Connie chuckle while Pearl scoffs.

"This is all very interesting," you say. "In my reality, religion is all pervasive and the cause of much turmoil. Humanity has been at war with itself for millennia over religious thought and deed."

"Humans at war?!" Steven cries, bewildered at the idea.

Pearl frowns. She puts her hand on Steven's head, tousling his hair. He calms instantly.

"No, no," she says, "humans don't fight wars anymore. Not since the Gem War."

"Really?" you ask. "No World Wars? No Wars of Independence?"

"No."

You are at a loss. Could humanity's first contact with alien life - and subsequent invasion, colonization, rebellion and all out war - have cowed humankind into a sort of pacifism or simply unified them? The thought is staggering.

"And racism?" you venture.

All attending look confused.

"Really?" you ask weakly. "No humans treat other humans differently because they look different?" You point to Steven and Connie. "In my reality, there are people who hate other people because of their skin color."

Steven and Connie share a shocked look before looking back at you in horror.

"Are you serious? Nobody care about that kind of thing!" Steven declares. "That would be like people hating each other because they have different hair! That's nuts!" Connie beams at him. "Besides, I like Connie's skin. It's beautiful." The girl is now blushing furiously, to your amusement.

"Yo, your reality sounds whack," Amethyst puts in. "You should stay here. Chillax for a while."

"That sounds like a fun offer, but I've got obligations back home. The holidays are coming up, and I have a lot of planning to do. You know how it is. Christmas and--"

The word holiday floats across your mind, thoughtfully bisecting itself into its components for you to analyze, and you realize something. Judging by the looks of confusion all around, your horrible hunch is correct.

"You don't have holidays here, do you?"

"What's a holly day?" asks Steven.

"Are you serious?!"

**Author's Note:**

> I often wonder about the impact the Gem invasion had on humanity as a whole. The possible implications for religious belief alone are broad and could go many different ways. I decided that for my version of it, religion has become defunct in the face of beings from beyond the stars, who were not the perfect goddesses that humans would worship, but flawed beings much more like humankind than either would admit to. After the war, humankind didn't worship Gemkind, but did not go back to their ancestors' systems of worship. Rather, humankind became more focused on the morals and lessons their ancestors passed down, and treated them as wisdom rather than dogma. Spirituality takes the place of organized religion, and suddenly, there are no wars.
> 
> Clearly this is my idealized version of humanity. Except for the holidays things, but I'm sure there is an equivalent in their reality. They just have no need for Holy Days. And we know that they have vacations.


End file.
